"The
so-called 'control' question 'test' polygraph is a technological flight
of fancy. It is often used as a psychological rubber hose to induce
confessions. Founded on lies, it spreads distrust while posing as the
path to truth."

"The
lie detector, in many places, is nothing more than a psychological third-degree aimed at extorting a confession as the old physical beatings were. At times I'm sorry I ever had any part in its development."

polygraph pioneerJohn A. Larson (1892-1965)

"[Polygraph
screening] is completely without any theoretical foundation and has
absolutely no validity...the diagnostic value of this type of testing
is no more than that of astrology or tea-leaf reading."

The researcher who developed the U.S. Government's polygraph Test for Espionage and Sabotage "thought the whole security screening program should be shut down?"

The National Academy of Sciences concluded that "[polygraph testing's] accuracy in distinguishing actual or potential security violators from innocent test takers is insufficient to justify reliance on its use in employee security screening in federal agencies?"

The dirty little secret behind the polygraph is that the
"test" depends on trickery, not science. The person being "tested" is
not supposed to know that while the polygraph operator declares that
all questions must be answered truthfully, warning that the slightest
hint of deception will be detected, he secretly assumes that denials in
response to certain questions -- called "control" questions -- will be
less than truthful. An example of a commonly used control question is,
"Did you ever lie to get out of trouble?" The polygrapher steers the
examinee into a denial by warning, for example, that anyone who would
do so is the same kind of person who would commit the kind of behavior
that is under investigation and then lie about it. But secretly, it is
assumed that everyone has lied to get out of trouble.

The polygraph pens don't do a special dance when a
person lies. The polygrapher scores the test by comparing physiological
responses (breathing, blood pressure, heart, and perspiration rates) to
these probable-lie control questions with reactions to relevant
questions such as, "Did you ever commit an act of espionage against the
United States?" (commonly asked in security screening). If the former
reactions are greater, the examinee passes; if the latter are greater,
he fails. If responses to both "control" and relevant questions are
about the same, the result is deemed inconclusive.

The test also includes irrelevant questions such
as,
"Are the lights on in this room?" The polygrapher falsely explains that
such questions provide a "baseline for truth," because the true answer
is obvious. But in reality, they are not scored at all! They merely
serve as buffers between pairs of relevant and "control" questions.

The simplistic methodology used in polygraph
testing has
no grounding in the scientific method: it is no more scientific than
astrology or tarot cards. Government agencies value it because people
who don't realize it's a fraud sometimes make damaging admissions. But
as a result of reliance on this voodoo science, the truthful are often
falsely branded as liars while the deceptive pass through.

Perversely, the "test" is inherently biased
against the
truthful, because the more honestly one answers the "control"
questions, and as a consequence feels less stress when answering them,
the more likely one is to fail. Conversely, liars can beat the test by
covertly augmenting their physiological reactions to the "control"
questions. This can be done, for example, by doing mental arithmetic,
thinking exciting thoughts, altering one's breathing pattern, or simply
biting the side of the tongue. Truthful persons can also use these
techniques to protect themselves against the risk of a false positive
outcome. Although polygraphers frequently claim they can detect such
countermeasures, no polygrapher has ever demonstrated any ability to do
so, and peer-reviewed research suggests that they can't.

Additional Documents from EEOC Case Implicating U.S. Secret Service Polygraph BranchAntiPolygraph.org has obtained minimally redacted copies of six documents associated with the case of an applicant for a GS-15 information technology position with the U.S. Secret Service who received treatment for obsessive compulsive disorder and whose application was rejected following an allegedly failed pre-employment polygraph "test." Most of the audio recording of the polygraph session provided to the complainant and the administrative judge is incomprehensible.

Personal Statement of a CIA AnalystA former CIA analyst describes her polygraph experiences with the CIA and as a contractor working for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), FBI, and Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA).

Polygraph "Testing and the Kavanaugh Confirmation HearingsAs most readers will be aware, polygraphy has been in the news recently with respect to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee's confirmation hearings for Judge Brett Kavanaugh, whom President Trump has appointed to replace Judge Kennedy on the United States Supreme Court....

“Nailing the Pretest Interview”: A Presentation by Skip WebbAntiPolygraph.org has obtained a copy of a 2005 PowerPoint presentation prepared by former U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID) Supervisory Agent and American Polygraph Association past president and past chairman of the board of directors Milton O. “Skip” Webb, Jr....

Polygraph Place Bulletin Board Private ForumThis index is the beginning of an ongoing project to make the Polygraph Place Bulletin Board Private Forum, which was posted to AntiPolygraph.org in June 2013, more readily accessible.

Google De-Lists AntiPolygraph.org on Key Search TermsSearch DuckDuckGo for "polygraph" and you'll find that AntiPolygraph.org, which hosts more documentation on polygraphs than any other site on the Internet, and you’ll find AntiPolygraph.org in the top 10 results....

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Polygraph "Test for Espionage, Sabotage, and Corruption" ExposedIn 2017, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, unable to fill available positions because of the agency’s roughly 70% pre-employment polygraph failure rate, began a "pilot program" whereby instead of using the probable-lie Law Enforcement Pre-Employment Test technique used by other federal law enforcement agencies, CBP applicants would instead be subjected to a new direct-lie technique based on the Test for Espionage and Sabotage, which is used by the Departments of Defense and Energy for security screening.

NCCA Test Data Analysis PamphletAntiPolygraph.org has today published the National Center for Credibility Assessment’s “Test Data Analysis: Numerical Scoring System Pamphlet” dated August 2017 (488 kb PDF). A note before the table of contents documents the changes made over the years.

NCCA Polygraph Countermeasure Course Files LeakedAntiPolygraph.org has today published a collection of documents associated with the National Center for Credibility Assessment’s training courses on polygraph countermeasures. These documents, which date to circa 2013, describe the U.S. government’s best efforts to detect polygraph countermeasures.